New Delhi. While the country is moving ahead with an ambitious vision of leading the world in AI and future 6G networks, the spate of cyber frauds and online scams is emerging as the biggest hurdle in the path of India's digital economy. According to a recent survey by global telecommunications body GSMA, due to fear of cyber fraud, almost three-fourths (70 to 72 percent) of the country's citizens are shying away from online activities and limiting their digital behavior.
Julian Gorman, GSMA's Asia-Pacific head, warned on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) in New Delhi that this crisis of trust could blunt the pace of the country's digital development. According to GSMA survey, almost one out of every eight citizens in India became a victim of some online scam in the last 12 months. Despite filing complaints, most of the victims did not get any satisfactory solution. Most worrying, Gourman said, is that 70-72% of the population is nervous and limiting online behavior.
Satellite will bridge the gap of 1-2%
On the debate over satellite communications, Gorman said India's terrestrial mobile broadband already reaches more than 98% of the population. Satellite will only fill the 1-2% connectivity gap left in remote areas, ships or forests and cannot replace mobile networks. While India is one of the countries with the cheapest mobile tariffs, the high cost of satellite broadband will be a hindrance to its implementation.
Digital trust is a big challenge
Gorman said that building digital trust should be high on the agenda for the telecom and digital sectors, as fraud impacts customers as well as businesses and government initiatives. On the question of foreign satellite companies dominating domestic operators, Gorman said, India was not the first country to launch 5G, but today it has become the second largest 5G market in the world. Coming first doesn't decide everything. He advised that instead of trying to connect everyone through satellite, the focus should be on connecting millions of people with existing mobile broadband who are still without internet access.